1. Technical Field
The technical field relates to modular solid surface structures. More particularly, a solid surface structure comprising a skin engaged to a support frame, where a flexible engaging member secures the solid surface to the support frame and allows the solid surface to expand and contract on the support frame within a given range of relative change, according to variance in temperature.
2. Background Information
When making furniture or other household items, it is generally desirable to reduce the number of components and assembly steps. By reducing the number of components (i.e., panels), the selected piece of furniture is easier to keep clean as there are less nooks and crevasses into which bacteria, dirt and grime can reach.
A solid surface countertop is a countertop fabricated using man-made materials such as those composed of a variety of marble dust, acrylics, polymers, or resins. Solid surface countertops are ordinarily used as these surfaces are non-porous and low-maintenance.
Preferably the solid surfaces are engineered composites that are impervious to bacteria, staining and most problems ordinary encountered by or inherent in natural stone, such as granite. Solid surfaces can be heated and bent into three-dimensional shapes using a process known as thermoforming. The thermoforming process provides a seamless edge. The seamless edge is a major appeal of solid surfaces countertops to consumers and designers. Further, the seamless edges molded through the thermoforming process create a unibody design. The unibody design reduces the number of panels needed and makes the solid surface countertop easier to keep clean.
The inherent thermodynamic properties of solid surfaces cause them to expand or contract, even if slightly, depending on the surrounding temperature. Similarly, the frame or base onto which the solid surface is applied will tend to expand or contract in accordance with the surrounding temperature. Problems arise when the rate of expansion or contraction of the solid surface is different to that of the frame upon which the solid surface is mounted. When this is the case there is a tendency for gaps to develop between the two components, thus providing locations in which bacteria and molds can grow. This is particularly problematic for solid surfaces used in locations which are required to be sterile, such as in doctor's offices, or other healthcare settings.
Some designers overcome this obstacle by mounting or attaching the solid surface to a base that has similar thermodynamic properties so the solid surface and base expand or contract in a relatively similar nature.
Thus there still exists a need for an improved way of mounting a solid surface to a support frame having different thermodynamic properties than the solid surface.